By Denise Gary
Photos courtesy of Fiesta Bowl Charities and Denise Gary
Fiesta Bowl Charities honored Kids Need to Read (KNTR) with a $5,000 grant award to be used toward the READ Together program. Funds dedicated to READ Together are used to implement the program in poorly funded schools located in low socioeconomic areas of the United States. KNTR chooses participating schools from applicants who demonstrate they are actively seeking methods and resources to assist in increasing low literacy levels among their student population. Fiesta Bowl Charities’ gift is assisting in the fulfillment of READ Together in ten Arizona schools.
More than 350 nonprofits across Arizona applied during Fiesta Bowl Charities’ 2015 funding cycle. Fiesta Bowl Community Relations & Charitable Giving Committee felt that READ Together “exemplifies the mission of Fiesta Bowl Charities.”
Executive Director Denise Gary and Operations Director Lori Cothrun had the pleasure of attending a grant recipient reception on behalf of Kids Need to Read at the Fiesta Bowl Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Spirit greeted everyone as they entered.
Delicious food was catered by UMOM New Day Centers’ Helping Hands Catering Company.
It was a beautiful evening and KNTR’s representatives had a grand time!
Kids Need to Read was presented with a commemorative football at the end of the event, which is now proudly displayed in the KNTR lobby!
Later, Communications Director Craig Kyzar was able to enjoy the fruit of his grant writing labor.
READ Together partners with schools and other literacy organizations to encourage adult caregivers to read every day with their children. The program utilizes a wealth of leveled books, educational resources, reading buddies, tips for caregivers on the go, and inspiration, all designed to increase at-home reading activities on a daily basis. Through a consistent, effective approach, young students will develop vital reading skills that will serve them throughout their educational years and beyond.
KNTR sincerely thanks Fiesta Bowl Charities for supporting READ Together and its foundational focus on increasing reading proficiency levels among kindergarten and first grade students for their future success. Kids Need to Read is honored to serve the children who are benefiting from Fiesta Bowl Charities’ foresight and generosity.
Video: 2015 Fiesta Bowl Charities Grant Reception
More: READ Together Information and Family Reading Tips
READ Together Contributors
Book Review Service–KINDLEBOOKREVIEW
Cardinals Charities
Cox Charities
Eileen Duggan Memorial
Employees Community Fund of Boeing Arizona
Fiesta Bowl Charities
Travis Hanson, Author/Illustrator
Highlights for Children
John F. Long Foundation
Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation
Mesa Host Lions Club
Mesa United Way
Kim Oshiro, Author
